A Taste of the Past

Today, we are rerunning Episode #52 of A Taste of the Past, in which we spoke with Molly O'Neill. Molly passed away this week, and she will be sorely missed. It's HRN's annual summer fund drive, this is when we turn to our listeners and ask that you make a donation to help ensure a bright future for food radio. Help us keep broadcasting the most thought provoking, entertaining, and educational conversations happening in the world of food and beverage. Become a member today! To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we have brand new member gifts available. So snag your favorite new pizza - themed tee shirt or enamel pin today and show the world how much you love HRN, just go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

William Dickinson first drilled for brine in 1817, in western Virginia, using a hollowed-out tree trunk for piping, The town soon became the "salt capial of the east." Today, two 7th generation descendants of Dickinson, siblings Nancy Bruns and Lewis Payne, have reinvented this storied tradition, transforming the process by using natural and environmentally friendly concepts to produce small-batch finishing salt. On the very same family farm where William Dickinson lived and made salt, Nancy and Lewis have recaptured salt from this pristine 400 million year old ancient sea below the Appalachian Mountains. Nancy joins Linda to tell the story. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Community cookbooks—you know, those spiral bound collections with each contributor credited--began as a way for women to come together and share recipes and to support a common cause be it a local church, school, club, or other fundraising goal. The concept became so popular and spread rapidly throughout the nation that more than 3,000 charity cookbooks were published between 1864 and 1922, according to Feeding America, an historic cookbook project of Michigan State University. Antiquarian bookseller, collector and food historian Don Lindgren shares his insights into this movement from charitable funding to the breaking of gender limits. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever marveled at the delicately complex beauty of a plate of Japanese food? A dish is considered well-harmonized in Japanese when it is peaceful to look at. This arrangement of food on the plates in Japan or at Japanese restaurants is largely dictated by the rules of moritsuké, or serving arrangement. These are a set of styles that draw on the ideas of balance and contrast established centuries ago. Elizabeth Andoh, an authority on Japanese food and culture, TasteofCulture.com, explains the art and philosopy behind the saying, "Japanese eat with their eyes." A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The prosperity of the 1950's kicked off the revolution in technology and design that transformed the American kitchen from scullery to the central great room of the modern home. Modern pastel colored appliances and kitchen products made by companies whose names became household synonyms for convenience were representative of the era. Writer and design curator Sarah Archer has documented this movement in her new book, The Midcentury Kitchen, and joins Linda to talk about it. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New York City-based Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam has heightened the profile of West African cuisine in the United States with his restaurants and award-winning cookbooks Yolélé and Senegal. His new mission is to popularize the ancient supergrain FONIO in the U.S. and help farmers across the drought-prone Sahel region. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The cuisine of the Italian south has been called the soul of Italian cuisine and bedrock in the history of Italian cooking. In her new book, Food of the Italian South, food journalist and historian Katie Parla explores the cuisine, region by region, and discovers that many of the dishes are disappearing or are lost and remain as vague memories by later generations. Katie shares her insights into the history and culture of the southern regions that shaped the country’s soulful cuisine. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast. Photo courtesy of Ed Anderson.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Basque region of Spain is a food lover's mecca. From the endless variety of pintxos--the small bites offered at hundreds of bars--to rustic ciderhouse dinners; and from over 20 Michelin-starred restaurants to private gastronomic clubs, there is clearly a strong culture of food and dining. San Sebastián, once a humble fishing village, is at the center of all this gastronomy. San Sebastian native and culinary tour guide Lourdes Erquicia shares the history of the region and its food traditions. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For centuries, in the small town of Cetara on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, anchovies have been gathered and fermented into the piquant sauce "colatura di alici," a local specialty. Until the 1990s, colatura di alici had never been bottled or sold. People clamored for the artisanal product and asked for more. Now the town is embroiled in a "be careful what you wish for" scenario. Culinary history scholar Claire Alsup spent several months in Cetara examining the history and process, and was thrust into the middle of the town's debate. A Taste of the Past on Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's been 30 years since Irish cooking personality Darina Allen started SIMPLY DELICIOUS, her original television program and cookbook series. Today she looks back over that period of time and talks about the tried and true Irish dishes that she has gathered for her newest book, Simply Delicious: The Classic Collection. She reflects on how the cuisine has evolved over the years and descibes the traditional Irish recipes that have endured. A Taste of the Past is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.